Shane Ferrari, sheriff of New Mexico’s San Juan County, announced an investigation of a gun control group over allegations of breaking a law they helped to enact.
The target of his ire is New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence (NMPGV). Members of the group reportedly went house-to-house offering gift cards in exchange for unwanted guns. They allegedly carried out this program without adhering to state law.
Organizers claim the gun buybacks do not fall under the standard definition of a weapons transfer because they destroy the firearms received in exchange for gift cards.
According to The Reload, the group’s proposed gun buyback program in Farmington was rejected by the city. An enormous backlash developed over the initiative from outraged members of the public, leading officials to deny permission for the program.
The group went through with their plans anyway.
🚨Post by Sheriff Shane Ferrari regarding the criminal investigation of the @NMPGVnow gun buyback.🚨
** Farmington ‘New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence’ Gun Buyback Investigation**
San Juan County,
Before it comes out in the media and gets twisted one way or another, I want…
— Rep Stefani Lord (@Lord4NM) December 18, 2023
But there was an obvious problem. In 2019, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed a bill advocated by the group into law requiring a federal background check be conducted for any transfer of firearm ownership.
Whether public or private.
In a Facebook posting, Sheriff Ferrari said he does not understand how they feel they are “exempt from having to undergo a background check” as any other gun buyers are required to do. He said a sale occurred through the exchange of gift cards and the program is called a “buy back.”
The apparent missteps by the anti-Second Amendment New Mexico group provided yet another example of unintended consequences created by gun control advocates.
The Reload served up several great instances of these missteps.
It was 2012 when NBC News anchor David Gregory brandished a 30-round magazine on the air. He used the segment to question why these accessories were not banned when in fact they were illegal at his location.
This, of course, could have led to his arrest.
Four years later, a documentary featuring Katie Couric fell into hot water when producers were accused of violating federal statutes. They allegedly purchased weapons in a private sale across state lines.
And that same year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) fielded a report concerning a CBS News correspondent. She was accused of misleading federal officials during an undercover feature as to why she was purchasing a firearm.
